hfl    ZD3 


GIFT  OF 


8081 'IZ  W1H 
'A  'N  ' 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SANPASQUAL 


A  Report  of  the  California  Historical  Survey 

Commission  with  Special  Reference 

to  its  Location 


By  OWEN  C.,COY,  Ph.D. 

DIRECTOR 


CALIFORNIA  STATE  PRINTING  OFFICE 

SACRAMENTO 

1921 


THE  BATTLE  OF  SAN  PASQUAL 


A  Report  of  the  California  Historical  Survey 

Commission  with  Special  Reference 

to  its  Location 


By  OWEN  C.  COY,  Ph.D. 

DIRECTOR 


0872 


CALIFORNIA  STATE  PRINTING  OFFICE 
SACRAMENTO 

1921 


THE  BATTLE  OE  SAN  PASQIAL. 

GIFT  TO  THE   STATE. 

In  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  an  act  of  the  Legislature  approved 
by  the  governor  May  16,  1919,  the  State  of  California  accepted 
as  a  gift  from  Messrs.  William  G.  Henshaw  and  Ed  Fletcher  one  acre 
of  land  said  to  be  the  site  of  the  battle  of  San  Pasqual,  fought  between 
the  forces  of  General  S.  W.  Kearny  and  the  native  Californians 
(Mexican)  December  6  and  7,  1846.  The  act  also  provided  that  the 
Historical  Commission  should  prepare  a  narrative  of  the  events  con 
nected  with  the  battle;  that  it  should  determine  the  exact  location  of 
the  several  engagements;  and  recommend  some  manner  whereby  the 
state  might  suitably  mark  the  site.  In  accordance  with  the  act  men 
tioned,  this  report  is  respectfully  submitted. 

HISTORICAL   ACCOUNT  OF  THE    BATTLE. 

The  battle  of  San  Pasqual,  fought  in  the  little  valley  of  that  name 
located  in  the  northern  part  of  San  Diego  County,  was  one  of  the 
bloodiest  fought  on  Californian  soil.  The  number  of  men  engaged 
was  not  large  nor  were  the 'casualties  numerous  as  compared  with 
battles  of  more  recent  wars.  Its  chief  distinction  lies  in  the  fact  that 
it  was  a  battle  fought  upon  California  soil,  which  fortunately  has 
been  particularly  free  from  bloody  encounters. 

The  main  events  of  the  war  with  Mexico  during  the  years  1846-1848 
ire  well  known  to  the  readers  of  American  history.  Upon  July  7,  1846, 
Commodore  John  D.  Sloat  raised  the  American  Flag  at  Monterey  and 
during  the  succeding  months  the  supremacy  of  the  forces  of  the  United 
States  was  recognized  throughout  the  territory  of  Alta  California, 
except  by  isolated  bands  of  native  Californian  forces.  One  of  these 
was  the  band  of  Andres  Pico  just  north  of  San  Diego. 

The  United  States  Government,  knowing  of  the  impending  war  with 
Mexico,  had  prepared  for  an  attack  upon  California  both  by  its  naval 
forces  and  by  the  army.  Under  instructions  Commodore  Sloat,  as 
before  stated,  took  possession  of  the  chief  port  and  settlements  during  the 
summer  of  1846.  To  cooperate  with  the  naval  forces  Colonel  Stephen 
W.  Kearny  was  ordered  to  proceed  overland,  and  after  having  taken 
possession  of  New  Mexico  was  to  push  on  and  hold  California  for  the 
United  States.  A  letter  of  instructions  from  Secretary  of  War  William 
L.  Marcy  to  Kearny  is  of  value  in  giving  an  idea  of  his  instructions  and 
the  plan  of  action  of  which  this  battle  was  a  part. 

This  letter,  dated  Washington,  June  3,  1846,  informed  Kearny  that 
the  President  had  decided,  in  view  of  the  impending  war  with  Mexico, 
that  the  possession  of  Alta  California  was  of  prime  importance;  and 
that  an  expedition  with  that  object  in  view  was  therefore  ordered  and 

2—9872 

A  A  A  *  *»e? 


tnat  he  was  designated  to  command  it.  He  was  also  informed  that 
an  additional  force  of  a  thousand  men  had  been  provided  to  follow  him 
to  Santa  Fe,  to  which  place  he  was  directed  to  proceed;  and  he  was 
instructed,  after  making  himself  master  of  New  Mexico,  to  press  on  with 
his  remaining  force  to  California.  He  was  to  enlist  such  volunteers 
as  he  might  pick  up  along  the  way,  the  total  enlistment  not  to  exceed 
one-third  of  his  original  force.  He  was  permitted  to  choose  his  own 
route,  but  it  was  suggested  that  the  so-called  "Caravan  Route,"  by 
which  the  old  communication  between  that  country  and  New  Mexico 
had  been  carried  on,  could  be  more  easily  traversed  in  winter  time, 
and  the  wish  was  expressed  that  he  should  reach  California  by  winter. 
It  was  expected  that  the  United  States  naval  forces  would  be  in  posses 
sion  of  the  Pacific  seacoast  by  the  time  Kearny  would  arrive  there, 
and  that  they  would  cooperate  with  him  in  the  conquest  of  the  country. 
However.  Kearny  was  not  definitely  bound  to  a  fixed  program,  for 
Secretary  Marcy's  letter  expressly  stated  that  "A  large  discretionary 
power  is  invested  in  you  in  regard  to  these  matters,  as  well  as  to  all 
others."  The  letter  of  instructions  ended  with  advice  as  to  the  govern 
ment  to  be  set  up  in  the  event  of  the  conquest  of  California,  and 
instructions  for  the  kind  treatment  of  the  Calif ornians. 

Following  the  instructions,  Colonel  Kearny  left  Leavenworth  about 
tue  end  of  June,  occupied  Santa  Fe,  and  accomplished  the  conquest 
of  New  Mexico,  as  directed,  in  August.  Having  succeeded  thus  far, 
General  Kearny,  his  commission  as  such  having  reached  him  at  Santa 
Fe,  made  preparations  for  carrying  out  the  remainder  of  his  instruc 
tions,  namely,  those  which  dealt  with  the  conquest  of  California. 

He  left  Santa  Fe  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  September,  1846,  having 
before  him  a  journey  of  over  a  thousand  miles,  a  great  portion  of  which 
was  absolute  desert,  A  very  interesting  account  of  this  journey  is 
given  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  W.  H.  Emory,  one  of  Kearny 's  aides,  in 
his  journal.  Both  he  and  Captain  Johnston,  another  aide  to  Kearny, 
kept  diaries  of  their  experiences  on  the  overland  trip  to  California. 
However,  the  details  of  the  trip,  although  very  interesting,  are  not 
essential  to  our  story.  The  main  facts  of  the  trip  may  be  obtained 
from  the  following  letter,  the  official  report  of  General  Kearny  to  his 
superior  officer,  General  R.  Jones,  sent  after  Kearny 's  arrival  at  San 
Diego : 

HEADQUARTERS.  ARMY  OF  THE  WEST, 
SAN  DIEGO,  UPPER  CALIFORNIA,  Dec.  12,  1846. 

SIR:  As  I  have  previously  reported  to  you,  I  left  Santa  Fe  [New  Mexico]  for 
this  country  on  the  25th  of  September,  with  300  of  the  First  Dragoons  under 
Major  Sunnier.  We  crossed  to  the  bank  of  the  Del  Norte  at  Albuquerque,  ((>.">  miles 
below  Santa  Fe,)  continuing  down  on  that  bank  till  the  6th  October,  when  we  met 
Mr.  Kit  Carson,  with  a  party  of  16  men,  on  his  way  to  Washington  city  with  a  mail 
and  papers,  an  express  from  Com.  Stockton,  and  Lieut.  Col.  Fremont,  reporting  that 
the  Californias  were  already  in  possession  of  the  Americans  under  their  command  ; 


that  the  American  flag  was  flying  from  every  important  position  in  the  territory, 
and  that  the  country  was  forever  free  from  Mexican  control ;  the  war  ended,  and 
peace  and  harmony  established  among  the  people.  In  consequence  of  this  informa 
tion,  I  directed  that  200  dragoons  under  Major  Sumner,  should  remain  in  New 
Mexico,  and  that  the  other  100,  with  two  mountain  howitzers,  under  Capt.  Moore, 
should  accompany  me  as  a  guard  to  Upper  California.  With  this  guard,  we  con 
tinued  our  march  to  the  south,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Del  Norte,  to  the  distance 
of  about  230  miles  below  Santa  Fe,  when,  leaving  that  river  on  the  loth  Octo 
ber,  in  about  the  33d  deg.  of  latitude,  we  marched  westward  for  the  Copper 
mines,  which  we  reached  on  the  18th,  and  on  the  20th  reached  the  river  Gila, 
proceeding  down  the  Gila,  crossing  ana  recrossing  it  as  often  as  obstructions  in 
our  front  rendered  it  necessary ;  on  the  llth  November  reached  the  Pimos  vil 
lage,  about  SO  miles  from  the  .settlements  in  Sonora.  *  *  *  We  crossed  the  Colo 
rado  about  10  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Gila,  and,  marching  near  it  about  30 
miles  farther,  turned  off  and  crossed  the  desert — a  distance  of  about  GO  miles — without 
water  or  grass.  On  the  2d  December,  we  reached  Warner's  Rancho,  (Agua 
Caliente,)  the  frontier  settlement  in  California,  on  the  route  leading  to  Sonora.  On 
the  4th  we  marched  to  Mr.  Stokes's  raucho  (San[ta]  Isabella,)  ;  and  on  the  5th 
were  met  by  a  small  party  of  volunteers,  under  Capt.  Gillespie,  sent  out  from  San 
Diego,  by  Com.  Stockton,  to  give  us  what  information  they  possessed  of  the  enemy, 
000  or  700  of  whom  are  now  said  to  be  in  arms,  and  in  the  field  throughout  the  terri 
tory,  determined  upon  opposing  the  Americans,  and  resisting  their  authority  in  the 
Country.  Encamped  that  night  near  another  rancho  (San[ta]  Maria)  of  Mr.  Stokes, 
about  40  miles  from  San  Diego.  *  *  * 
Very  respectfully,  your  obdt.  svt., 

S.  W.  KEARNY,  Brig.  Gen.,  U.  S.  A. 
BRIG.  GEN.  R.  JONES,  Adjt.-Gen.  U.  S.  A. 

General  Kearny's  letter,  curiously  enough,  makes  no  mention  of  the 
proximity  of  the  hostile  Californians,  although  he  tells  of  the  camp  at 
the  rancho  Santa  Maria.  Referring  to  Lieutenant  Emory 's  journal,  we 
find  that,  under  the  date  of  December  5,  he  says : 

"We  arrived  at  the  rancheria  after  dark,  where  we  heard  that  the  enemy  was  in 
force  9  miles  distant,  and,  not  finding  any  grass  about  the  rancheria,  we  pushed  on 
and  encamped  in  a  canyon,  two  miles  below.  *  *  *  A  party  under  Lt.  Hammond 
was  sent  to  reconnoitre  the  enemy,  reported  to  be  near  at  hand.  By  some  accident 
the  party  was  discovered  and  the  enemy  placed  on  the  'qui  vive.'  We  were  now  on 
the  main  road  to  San  Diego ;  all  the  'by-ways'  being  in  our  rear,  and  it  was  therefore 
deemed  necessary  to  attack  the  enemy,  and"  force  a  passage.  About  2  o'clock  a.  m. 
the  call  to  horse  was  sounded." 

Captain  Johnston,  who  was  killed  in  action  at  San  Pasqual,  in  his 
last  entry,  December  4,  tells  of  hearing  rumors  of  the  enemy,  but  does 
not  mention  at  what  time  the  Americans  broke  camp. 

Before  proceeding  with  the  account  of  the  battle  which  took  place 
next  day,  it  is  necessary  that  we  know  something  of  the  Californians 
on  the  opposing  side. 

About  the  time  that  Kearny  was  crossing  the  Colorado,  General 
Flores,  comandante  of  the  Californians,  sent  Captain  Andres  Pico  south 
to  cut  off  the  return  of  a  party  of  Americans  understood  to  have  left 
San  Diego  for  the  region  of  Santa  Isabel.  Pico  failed  to  connect  with 
the  Americans,  but,  nevertheless,  remained  in  the  south,  making  his 
headquarters  at  San  Luis  Key  and  Santa  Margarita.  Located  thus  he 
cooperated  with  Captain  Cota,  who  headed  another  band  of  Califor 
nians,  in  keeping  supplies  fro^  the  Americans.  Nothing  definite  is 


—  6  — 

known  of  Pico's  movements  up  to  December  5,  when  we  find  him 
encamped  at  the  Indian  village  of  San  Pasqual.  His  purpose,  it  seems, 
was  to  cut  off  the  return  of  Gillespie,  whose  departure  from  San  Diego 
was  known.  We  already  know  from  Kearny's  letter,  that  Gillespie  had 
succeeded  in  connecting  with  Kearny  's  force  on  the  fourth  of  December. 
However,  Pico  was  ignorant  of  this  fact,  as  he  knew  nothing  of  General 
Kearny's  presence  in  California. 

Although  there  is  conflicting  testimony  upon  this  point,  it  is  reason 
able  to  assume  it  true,  for  if  Pico  had  been  aware  of  Kearny's  presence 
he  would  hardly  have  acted  as  he  did.  Osio,  a  California  writer,  claims 
that  Pico  had  no  idea  of  Kearny's  proximity,  when  he  camped  for  the 
night  at  San  Pasqual.  According  to  Osio,  Pico 's  first  intimation  of  the 
presence  of  Kearny  was  given  by  an  Indian,  who  rushed  into  Pico's 
camp  that  night  and  told  him  that  an  American  captain  with  more  than 
two  hundred  men  was  encamped  a  short  distance  away,  and  had  been 
joined  by  another  American  captain  from  San  Diego. 

According  to  Osio's  account,  the  Indian,  wishing  to  save  Pico  from 
surprise,  told  him  of  Kearny's  intention  to  fall  upon  him  unawares  in 
the  morning.  Upon  hearing  this,  Pico  gave  the  order  to  mount  and 
prepare  to  fight  against  four  times  their  number. 

On  the  other  hand  Palomares,  a  lieutenant  in  a  company  of  Califor 
nia  riflemen,,  claims  that  Pico  left  Los  Angeles  with  a  force  of  thirty 
men,  expressly  to  follow  Kearny,  whose  presence  in  California  was 
known.  According  to  Palomares'  account,  Pico  arrived  at  San  Pasqual 
in  a  rain,  at  about  8  p.m.  Not  wishing  to  fall  in  a  trap,  he  sent  two  of 
his  men,  Pablo  Vejar  and  Ysidro  Alvarado,  to  spy  upon  Kearny.  Palo 
mares  gives  a  vivid  account  of  how  Pico  and  his  men  waited  all  night 
in  a  drizzling  rain  for  the  return  of  these  two  spies  who,  as  was  after 
wards  learned,  had  been  taken  prisoner  by  a  patrol  of  Americans.  Palo 
mares  mentions  the  same  incident  of  the  Indian  informant,  as  was  men 
tioned  by  Osio,  saying  that  at  one,  o'clock  in  the  morning  an  Indian 
approached  camp,  telling  of  an  impending  American  attack.  He  was 
questioned  by  Pico,  who  refused  to  believe  his  story.  The  Indian  left, 
only  to  return  half  an  hour  later  with  news  of  the  approach  of  the 
Americans.  This  time  his  story  was  believed  and  Pico  ordered  his  men 
to  mount  and  prepare  for  attack. 

Both  Osio  and  Palomares  agree  fairly  well  concerning  the  warning 
received  by  Pico  and  his  preparations.  However,  Palomares '  statement 
that  Pico  left  Los  Angeles  with  thirty  men  to  attack  Kearny  is  not  rea 
sonable,  for  the  Californians  were  not  accustomed  to  making  attack 
upon  parties  four  times  their  number.  Osio  is  undoubtedly  right  in  his 
contention  that  Pico  was  unaware  of  Kearny's  approach,  and  in  this 
statement  he  is  borne  out  by  Botello,  another  contemporary,  who  claims 
that  Pico  afterwards  told  him  that  he  had  not  wished  to  fight,  but  was 


forced  to  it  by  circumstances  which  made  it  impossible  to  do  otherwise. 
If  Pico  had  not  wished  to  fight,  as  he  claims,  he  could  hardly  have  been 
following  Kearny  with  the  intention  of  attacking  him. 

Referring  to  Emory's  journal  we  find  that  the  Americans  broke  camp 
in  the  early  morning  of  December  6,  reaching  the  vicinity  of  San  Pas- 
qual  about  daybreak.  The  order  of  march  was  as  follows:  Captain 
Johnston  commanded  an  advance  guard  of  twelve  dragoons  mounted  on 
the  best  horses;  close  behind  was  General  Kearny  with  Lieutenants 
Emory  and  Warner  of  the  engineers,  and  four  or  five  of  their  men; 
next  came  Captain  Moore  and  Lieutenant  Hammond  with  about  fifty 
dragoons,  many  of  them  mounted  upon  mules,  followed  by  Captains 
Gillespie  and  Gibson  with  twenty  volunteers  of  the  California  Battal 
ion.  Lieutenant  Davidson  was  next  in  line,  in  charge  of  the  two  how 
itzers,  with  a  few  dragoons  to  manage  the  guns,  which  were  drawn  by 
mules;  and  finally  the  rest  of  the  force,  between  fifty  and  sixty  men, 
brought  up  the  rear  under  Major  Swords,  protecting  the  baggage. 

Reaching  the  top  of  a  slight  rise,  the  Americans  saw  the  village  of 
San  Pasqual  spread  before  them.  The  Californians  were  drawn  up  to 
receive  a  charge.  Ordering  a  charge,  Captain  Johnston  proceeded 
down  the  slope  at  a  gallop,  followed  by  his  men.  He  and  his  twelve 
dragoons  being  the  best  mounted,  rapidly  drew  ahead  of  the  main  body 
of  the  Americans,  and  by  the  time  they  had  reached  the  waiting  Cali 
fornians,  they  were  alone.  The  Californians,  taking  advantage  of  this 
fact,  stood  fast,  discharging  a  volley,  then  receiving  the  Americans  with 
lances  set.  Captain  Johnston  fell  dead  at  the  first  volley,  with  a  bullet 
through  his  head,  and  several  others  were  wounded.  A  furious  hand- 
to-hand  conflict  took  place,  which  was  terminated  by  the  arrival  of  the 
main  body  of  the  Americans,  at  which  Pico's  men  fled,  hotly  pursued 
by  the  Americans. 

However,  the  extreme  variety  of  mounts  soon  became  evident  in  the 
relative  positions  of  the  various  pursuers,  the  American  line  being 
strung  out  for  more  than  a  mile.  What  Pico's  plans  up  to  this  stage 
of  the  -battle  may  have  been  no  one  knows  for  certain,  although  Oslo 
claims  that  Pico  feigned  a  retreat  to  lure  the  Americans  on.  However 
this  may  have  been,  after  running  some  distance  to  more  open  ground, 
Pico  suddenly  wheeled  his  column,  and  rushed  back  to  meet  the  Ameri 
cans.  The  conflict,  though  brief,  was  desperately  fought.  The  Ameri 
can  firearms  were  practically  useless  on  account  of  the  rain  and  the 
time  needed  to  reload,  so  the  conflict  resolved  itself  into  a  hand-to-hand 
struggle  of  clubbed  guns  and  sabers  against  the  lances  of  the  Califor 
nians.  The  Americans  fought  bravely  against  heavy  odds,  for  their 
mules  were  unmanageable,  and  their  sabers  too  short  to  cope  effectively 
with  the  long  California  lances. 


This  hand-to-hand  combat  raged  for  several  minutes.  When  the  first 
fury  of  the  assault  had  somewhat  abated  the  rest  of  Kearny 's  forces 
arrived  with  the  two  howitzers,  and  the  Californians  again  fled.  The 
Americans  were  in  no  condition  to  pursue  and  indeed  found  themselves 
in  a  very  unhappy  plight.  Emory  says,  "Our  provisions  were 
exhausted,  our  horses  dead,  our  mules  on  their  last  legs,  and  our  men, 
now  reduced  to  one-third  of  their  number,  were  ragged,  worn  down  by 
fatigue,  and  emaciated. ' '  Since  the  mules  were  unable  to  transport  the 
dead  and  wounded  it  was  decided  to  camp  at  the  site  over  night  in  order 
to  bury  the  dead.  This  was  done  as  secretly  as  possible  under  the  cover 
of  darkness,  amid  the  howlings  of  a  myriad  of  coyotes,  who  had  been 
attracted  to  the  scene  of  battle.  Emory's  description  of  the  camp  that 
night  doubtless  not  only  describes  the  place  but  also  reflects  the  spirit 
of  the  men,  for  He  says,  "Our  position  was  defensible,  but  the  ground, 
covered  with  rocks  and  cacti,  made  it  difficult  to  get  a  smooth  place  to 
rest,  even  for  the  wounded.  The  night  was  cold  and  damp,  and  not 
withstanding  our  excessive  fatigues  of  the  day  and  night  previous, 
sleep  was  impossible." 

The  exact  number  of  casualties  on  either  side  cannot  be  determined, 
since  there  are  about  as  many  different  reports  given  as  there  are  nar 
rators  to  give  them.  However,  a  fairly  close  estimate  places  the  Ameri 
can  dead  at  eighteen,  with  fifteen  wounded.  It  is  doubtful  if  there  were 
any  killed  among  the  Californians,  although  several  contemporaries 
speak  of  one  Californian  being  killed.  An  estimate  of  all  accounts 
places  the  Californians  wounded  at  twelve,  two  of  them  seriously. 
Kearny  himself  was  wounded,  and  Captain  H.  S.  Turner  assumed  com 
mand,  dispatching  Lieutenant  Godey  and  three  others  to  San  Diego 
for  help. 

Early  on  the  morning  of  the  seventh  Kearny  again  took  command, 
and  started  his  ragged  detachment  on  its  way  to  San  Diego  with  the 
threatening  Californians  disputing  their  advance.  When  they  arrived 
at  the  San  Bernardo  rancho  it  was  found  to  be  deserted  except  for  a  few 
Indians,  but  water  was  obtainable  for  the  animals  and  several  chickens 
were  killed  for  the  use  of  the  sick.  No  grass  was  found  for  the  stock 
so  they  pushed  on  toward  the  river  bed,  driving  many  cattle  with  them. 
At  this  juncture  the  Californian  horseman  again  made  an  attack  upon 
the  rear  of  the  advancing  army.  Emory  describes  it  thus : 

"We  had  scarcely  left  the  house  and  proceeded  more  than  a  mile,  when  a  cloud  of 
cavalry  debouched  from  the  hills  in  our  rear,  and  a  portion  of  them  dashed  at  full 
speed  to  occupy  a  hill  by  which  we  must  pass,  while  the  remainder  threatened  our  rear. 
Thirty  or  forty  of  them  got  possession  of  the  hill,  and  it  was  necessary  to  drive  them 
from  it.  This  was  accomplished  by  a  small  party  of  six  or  eight,  upon  whom  the  Cali 
fornians  discharged  their  fire  ;  and  strange  to  say,  not  one  of  our  men  fell.  The  capture 
of  the  hill  was  then  but  the  work  of  a  moment,  and  when  we  reached  the  crest,  the 
Californians  had  mounted  their  horses  and  were  in  full  flight.  We  did  not  lose  a  man 
in  the  skirmish,  but  they  had  several  badly  wounded.  By  this  movement  we  lost  our 
cattle,  and  were  convinced  that  if  we  attempted  any  further  progress  with  the 
ambulances  we  must  lose  our  sick  and  our  packs." 


SKETCH 

or  THE 

ACTIONS 


Map   1. —  Contemporaneous   map   by   Lieut.   Col.   W.    H.    Emory. 


—  10  — 

It  was  decided  to  stay  there  and  await  reenforcements  from  San  Diego 
as  the  condition  of  the  troops  was  such  that  to  proceed  further  would  be 
suicide.  The  numbers  of  the  Californians  were  constantly  increasing. 
Kearny  had  no  way  of  knowing  whether  or  not  Godey  had  evaded  the 
natives  and  reached  San  Diego.  When  it  was  learned  that  the  Cali 
fornians  had  several  American  prisoners  they  were  forced  to  consider 
the  serious  situation  they  were  in.  It  was  decided  therefore  to  try  to 
get  another  message  through  to  San  Diego.  Lieutenant  E.  F.  Beale  of 
the  Navy,  Kit  Carson,  and  an  Indian  volunteered  to  attempt  the  perilous 
journey.  Senator  Benton  thus  describes  the  preparation  for  their 
departure : 

"The  brief  preparations  for  the  forlorn  hope  were  soon  made ;  and  brief  they  were. 
A  rifle  each,  a  blanket,  a  revolver,  a  sharp  knife,  and  no  food  ;  there  was  none  in  the 
camp.  General  Kearny  invited  Beale  to  come  and  sup  with  him.  It  was  not  the 
supper  of  Anthony  and  Cleopatra ;  for  when  the  camp  starves,  no  general  has  a 
larder.  It  was  meagre  enough.  The  General  asked  Beale  what  provisions  he  had  to 
travel  on ;  the  answer  was,  nothing.  The  General  called  his  servant  to  inquire  what 
his  tent  afforded ;  a  handful  of  flour,  was  the  answer.  The  General  ordered  it  to  be 
baked  into  a  loaf  and  be  given  to  Beale.  When  the  loaf  was  brought,  the  servant  said 
that  was  the  last,  not  of  bread  only,  but  of  everything ;  that  he  had  nothing  left  for 
the  general's  breakfast.  Beale  directed  the  servant  to  carry  back  the  loaf,  saying  that 
he  would  provide  for  himself.  He  did  provide  for  himself ;  and  how?  By  going  to  the 
smouldering  fire  where  the  baggage  had  been  burnt  in  the  morning,  and  scraping  from 
the  ashes  and  embers  the  half-burnt  peas  and  grains  of  corn  which  the  conflagration 
had  spared,  filling  his  pockets  with  the  unwonted  food.  Carson  and  the  faithful  Indian 
provided  for  themselves  some  mule  beef." 

Guided  by  the  skill  of  Kit  Carson,  the  three  men  eluded  the  besiegers 
and  separately  made  their  way  to  San  Diego  during  the  second  night. 
There  they  found  that  Godey  had  successfully  given  the  news  of 
Kearny 's  plight  and  that  Commodore  Stockton  had  already  started  a 
relief  expedition  on  the  way  to  San  Pasqual. 

The  Smithsonian  Institute  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  has  erected  a  tablet 
to  the  memory  of  Beale  and  Carson  in  commemoration  of  the  heroism 
displayed  by  them  at  this  time.  Since  this  tablet  shows  so  well  the 
attitude  of  this  great  national  museum  toward  this  battle,  the  inscrip 
tion  is  given  in  full : 

"BEALE  AND  CARSON  HAILING  STOCKTON'S  FLAGSHIP 

"AN  INCIDENT  OF  THE  MEXICAN   WAR 

"Kearny,  sent  from  Santa  Fe  to  occupy  California,  was  met  and  defeated  by  the 
Mexicans  at  San  Pasqual.  The  American  forces  were  driven  upon  a  butte  in  the  desert 
on  which  there  was  no  wrater-and  there  surrounded  by  the  Mexican  forces.  Edward  F. 
Beale  and  Kit  Carson,  the  famous  explorers  of  the  West,  volunteered  to  go  through 
the  Mexican  lines  and  get  reenforcements  from  Stockton's  fleet  at  San  Diego.  They 
succeeded  in  crawling  past  the  cordon  of  Mexican  sentries  in  the  night  and  by  hiding 
in  ravines  in  the  day  and  traveling  by  night  they  reached  Stockton's  flagship,  after 
enduring  great  hardship." 

In  the  meanwhile  the  besieged  Americans,  who  had  been  subsisting 
several  days  on  the  flesh  of  emaciated  mules  and  the  little  water  they 


—  11  — 


Carson- Beale    tablet    in    the    Smithsonian    Institute — From    Sabin,    "Kit 
Carson    Days." 


—  12  — 

could  obtain  by  digging,  planned  to  make  another  desperate  attempt  to 
proceed  to  San  Diego.  The  surgeon  reported  upon  December  10  that 
the  wounded  were  able  to  make  the  journey  and  the  order  was  given  to 
make  ready  for  a  march  early  next  morning.  Emory  then  reports: 

"We  were  all  reposing  quietly,  but  not  sleeping,  waiting  for  the  break  of  day,  when 
we  were  to  go  down  and  give  the  enemy  another  defeat.  One  of  the  men,  in  the  part  of 
the  camp  assigned  to  my  defence,  reported  that  he  heard  a  man  speaking  in  English. 
Tn  a  few  minutes  we  heard  the  tramp  of  a  column,  followed  by  the  hail  of  the 
sentinel.  It  was  a  detachment  of  100  tors  and  80  marines  under  Lieutenant  Gray, 
sent  to  meet  us  by  Commodore  Stockton,  from  whom  we  learned  that  Lieutenant 
Beale,  Carson,  and  the  Indian  had  arrived  safely  in  San  Diego.  The  detachment  lefl 
San  Diego  on  the  night  of  the  9th,  cached  themselves  during  the  day  of  the  10th, 
and  joined  us  on  the  night  of  that  day.  These  gallapt  fellows  busied  themselves  till 
day  distributing  their  provisions  and  clothes  to  our  naked  and  hungry  people." 

This  union  of  the  two  American  forces  entirely  disconcerted  the 
plans  of  the  native  Californians,  and  before  sunrise  they  had  with 
drawn  toward  the  north,  leaving  Kearny  and  his  enlarged  army  undis 
turbed  in  their  further  advance.  They  arrived  at  San  Diego  upon  the 
morning  of  December  12. 

Thus  ended  the  battle  of  San  Pasqual,  the  most  famous  and  the  most 
sanguinary  of  California  history.  Although  technically  the  Americans 
may  claim  a  victory,  since  they  remained  in  possession  of  the  field,  it 
is  probable  that  another  such  "victory"  would  have  been  disastrous. 
There  has  been  much  comment  made  upon  the  battle  at  San  Pasqual, 
and  the  general  tone  of  critics  is  unfavorable  to  General  Kearny.  Ban 
croft,  in  particular,  has  characterized  the  attack  of  Kearny  as  a  stupid 
blunder,  Hittell  also  blames  Kearny,  but  his  tone  is  much  less  severe. 
He  says  in  part :  ' '  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  attack  on  San 
Pasqual  was  a  mistake  on  the  part  of  Kearny,  who  did  not  sufficiently 
take  into  consideration  the  condition  of  his  forces,  nor  sufficiently  appre 
ciate  the  forces  of  the  Californians. ' '  Sabin,  a  more  recent  writer,  says 
that  it  is  probable  that  in  this  case  Kearny  was  ill-advi.sed  by  both 
Gillespie  and  Carson,  upon  whom  he  relied  for  guidance.  'He  says: 

"Gillespie  was  burning  for  revenge  to  counterbalance  his  discomfiture  at  Los 
Angeles.  He  made  light  of  the  California  valor.  So  did  even  Kit  Carson,  who,  in 
common  with  other  mountain  men  of  the  Southwest,  thought  little  of  Latin 
courage.  After  their  easy  conquest  of  New  Mexico,  when  the  march  from  Bent's 
Fort  to  Santa  Fe,  the  capital,  had  been  practically  undisputed.  General  Kearny 
and  his  officers  and  men  also  were  inclined  to  dismiss  the  Californians  curtly. 

Influenced  by  the  contempt  of  Gillespie  and  Carson,  and  not  realizing  that  here 
the  fight  was  with  free  Californians  accustomed  to  more  initative  than  the  New 
Mexicans,  General  Kearny 's  council  decided  to  push  on  for  San  Diego,  and  to  attack 
the  enemy  if  they  were  opposed.  In  this  plan  was  sound  military  sense.  Boldness 
would  win  a  way,  whereas  hesitancy  might  result  in  the  little  force  being  shut  off 
from  the  sea  and  all  supplies,  and.  by  a  constantly  increasing  foe,  confined  helplessly 
inland  while  their  chances  grew  less." 

Military  critics  may  differ  as  to  whether  the  policy  pursued  by  Gen 
eral  Kearny  was  in  keeping  with  the  best  military  tactics,  Be  that  as 
it  may,  this  battle  wrill  take  its  place  in  California's  history  as  one 
Avhich  not  only  shows  forth  boldly  the  courage  and  fortitude  of  the  men 


—  13  — 

who  composed  the  American  Army  on  the  one  hand,  but  also  the  dash 
and  skill  of  the  irregular  California  cavalry  on  the  other  hand.  It 
constitutes  an  important  incident  in  the  American  Conquest  of  Cali 
fornia. 

LOCATION   OF  THE  BATTLE  SITE. 

In  order  that  the  true  site  of  the  battle  might  be  determined,  all 
obtainable  data  such  as  contemporary  reports  and  maps,  and  other 
early  maps  of  the  region,  were  carefully  studied  and  compared  with 
the  recent  topographical  maps  prepared  by  the  United  States  Geological 
Survey.  Of  greatest  value  in  this  work  was  the  sketch  map  of  these 
engagements  prepared  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  W.  II.  Emory,  who  accom 
panied  this  expedition  in  the  capacity  of  topographical  engineer.  With 
the  exceDtioii  of  the  course  of  the  San  Bernardo  (or  San  Dieguito) 
River,  wrhich  is  indicated  by  Emory  as  running  east  of  the  American 
camp  of  December  7-11,  the  map  mentioned  is  exceedingly  accurate  and 
gives  sufficient  number  of  recognized  topographical  features  to  permit 
an  accurate  location  of  the  places  mentioned  in  the  report. 

In  this  map  the  American  advance  is  shown  to  have  approached  the 
scene  of  the  engagements  from  a  ridge  crossing  the  river  (then  dry) 
at  the  Indian  village  of  San  Pasqual,  where  Pico's  band  was  drawn  up 
to  meet  them.  This  village  is  located  near  a  small  detached  hill  or  knoll 
standing  near  the  head  of  the  valley  apart  from  those  forming  the  walls 
of  the  valley.  The  line  of  retreat  is  then  shown  down  the  valley  on  the 
same  (north)  side  of  the  river  to  a  place  where  the  hills  to  the  north 
seem  to  recede,  forming  a  wider,  more  open  plain.  On  this*  open  plain 
the  second  and  most  desperate  of  the  engagements  was  fought  and  here 
the  Americans  camped  December  6. 

After  retreating  between  two  small  hills  on  the  north  side  of  the 
valley,  Pico's  forces  are  shown  to  have  taken  up  their  third  position 
across  the  valley  at  a  point  where  the  highlands  converge.  Should  the 
Americans  proceed  down  the  valley  this  would  be  an  advantageous 
point  to  resist  them.  It  did  in  fact  force  Kearny  to  take  to  the  low 
hills  to  the  north  of  the  valley,  while  Pico  held  the  valley  probably  some 
what  in  advance  of  the  Americans.  After  proceeding  some  distance 
along  the  north  edge  of  the  valley  the  Americans  turned  sharply  to 
their  left  and  were  attacked  by  the  Calif  ornians  as  they  ascended  a 
hill  on  the  other  side.  The  former  were  then  forced  to  take  up  a  posi 
tion  upon  this  hill,  and  there  they  awaited  reinforcements. 

Guided  by  the  map  of  Colonel  Emory  and  the  recent  United  States 
Geological  Survey  sheets,  the  Director  of  the  Commission  marked  the 
approximate  location  of  the  various  battle  sites  upon  the  topographical 
sheet.  Two  points  seemed  to  permit  of  definite  location.  The  Indian 
village  of  San  Pasqual,  at  which  the  first  engagement  was  fought,  is 
undoubtedly  the  same  as  the  village  by  the  name  upon  the  topographical 


—  14  — 

map,  and  also  it  seemed  safe  to  assume  that  the  third  engagement, 
which  was  fought  on  the  south  side  of  the  valley,  took  place  upon  the 
peak  now  known  as  Battle  Mountain.  On  account  of  the  absence  of 
any  scale  of  miles  accompanying  Emory's  map,  the  distances  shown 
thereon  can  not  be  accurately  determined  and  are  therefore  only  rela 
tive  distances.  The  position  of  the  second  engagement  was  fixed  in 
relation  to  the  two  points  just  mentioned  as  well  as  by  other  correspond 
ing  features  in  both  the  contemporaneous  and  recent  maps. 

Having  made  these  preliminary  observations  and  indicated  them 
upon  the  topographical  maps,  the  Director  of  the  Commission,  in  com 
pany  with  Assemblyman  Fred  Lindley  and  others,  visited  San  Pasqual 
Valley  on  February  22,  1920,  to  determine  the  accuracy  of  these  con 
clusions  and  to  decide  if  possible  whether  the  land  accepted  by  the  State 
by  virtue  of  Statutes  1919,  chapter  272,  as  the  battle  site,  is  the  actual 
battle  ground,  or  if  there  were  sufficiently  definite  information  avail 
able  to  determine  such  site. 

San  Pasqual  Valley  is  a  small  valley  about  nine  miles  long,  and  varies 
in  width,  from  one-half  a  mile  to  two  miles.  At  the  upper  or  eastern 
end  of  the  valley  the  river,  which  is  dry  except  during  the  rainy  season 
of  the  year,  emerges  from  a  relatively  narrow  canon.  The  general 
topography  is  strikingly  like  that  shown  on  Emory's  map.  A  small 
round  knoll  stands  at  the  head  of  the  valley  upon  the  north  side  of  the 
river.  There  is  now  a  farm  house  here,  but  it  is  said  once  to  have  been 
the  site  of  an  Indian  village.  The  hill  mentioned  is  now  usexLas  a 
cemetery.  While  inspecting  this  site  numerous  Indian  arrow  heads  and 
bits  of  pottery  were  discovered  in  the  surface  dirt,  indicating  that  it  had 
been  the  location  of  an  Indian  village.  The  tradition  of  the  old-time 
residents  of  the  valley  makes  this  the  site  of  the  first  engagement,  and 
there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  the  historical  records  confirm  this 
tradition. 

From  this  place  we  passed  down  the  valley  in  an  endeavor  to  locate 
the  site  of  the  second  engagement,  closely  following  the  route  indicated 
as  that  of  the  two  opposing  forces.  Here  again  the  map  of  Colonel 
Emory  was  found  to  be  of  great  value,  for  his  delineation  of  the 
topography,  particularly  the  highlands  forming  the  north  wall  of  the 
valley,  is  very  suggestive  and  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  their  identity  at 
the  present  time.  Local  tradition  places  the  scene  of  tin  second  battle 
about  two  miles  from  the  first,  at  a  place  where  the  valley  widens  due 
to  an  opening  in  the  hills  from  the  north.  It  is  here  that  the  land 
deeded  to  the  State  is  located.  In  view  of  the  close  resemblance  between 
Emory's  map  of  the  battle,  the  topographical  sheets  issued  by  the 
United  States,  and  the  actual  physical  features,  the  Director  of  the 
Commission  was  not  surprised  to  find  that  this  traditional  battle  site 
was  exactly  upon  the  point  as  previously  marked  by  him  as  the  result  of 


—  15  — 


—  16  — 

his  preliminary  study  of  the  historical  evidence.  He  is  therefore  fully 
satisfied  that  the  land  deeded  to  the  State  is  the  site  of  the  battle  of 
December  6,  1846.  This  is  especially  true  when  it  is  remembered  that 
this  was  a  cavalry  battle,  and  probably  covered  many  acres  of  ground. 
There  can  therefore  be  but  little  doubt  that  the  battle  was  fought  over 
the  ground  selected,  and  it  is  furthermore  very  probable  that  it  may 
have  been  the  site  of  the  camp  upon  the  night  of  December  6. 

From  this  point  we  proceeded  farther  down  the  valley.  The  present 
road  passes  between  two  small  elevations  to  the  north  of  the  main  valley, 
very  suggestive  of  those  shown  on  Emory's  map.  Near  there  the 
strategic  value  of  Pico's  third  position  across  the  valley  at  a  narrow 
point  is  very  evident,  while  on  the  other  hand  the  low  hills  north  of  the 
valley  have  a  gentle  slope,  thus  making  it  possible  for  Kearny's  army 
to  ascend  them  and  thus  by  watching  the  enemy  in  the  valley  to  guard 
against  attaek.  Traveling  here  was  but  slightly  more  difficult  than 
upon  the  valley  floor,  until  they  approached  the  more  mountainous 
region  through  which  the  river  approaches  the  sea.  It  is  probable  that 
here  the  guides  warned  Kearny  that  they  must  turn  to  the  south  in 
order  to  avoid  the  mountains  if  they  desired  to  proceed  to  San  Diego. 
Pico's  band  seems  to  have  been  ahead  of  them,  probably  on  the  route  to 
San  Luis  Rey,  his  headquarters.  At  any  rate  the  American  army's 
descent  into  the  valley  was  not  opposed,  but  as  they  crossed  over  to  the 
southern  side  and  were  ascending  the  slope  they  were  attacked  from  the 
rear  by  Pico's  men.  They  were  then  forced  to  take  up  this  position 
upon  the  small  peak  now  known  as  Battle  Mountain. 

The  one  serious  defect  in  Emory's  map  is  met  in  locating  the  latter 
part  of  the  route  just  described,  as  he  indicates  the  San  Bernardo 
River  as  running  to  the  east  of  the  site  of  this  third  battle,  when  in 
reality  it  runs  to  the  north  of  the  peak,  and  was  crossed  by  the  Ameri 
cans  just  before  the  third  attack  of  Pico's  men.  Serious  as  this  may 
appear,  it  may  be  easily  explained  without  calling  into  question  the 
accuracy  of  his  other  observations.  It  must  be  remembered  that 
although  the  date  was  in  December,  he  describes  the  river  as  being  dry. 
AVlien  the  writer  was  there  late  in  February,  after  a  three  days'  rain, 
the  river  was  just  beginning  to  show  signs  of  life  and  was  even  then 
not  more  than  a  good-sized  creek.  It  is  therefore  very  probable  that,  the 
Americans  crossed  the  dry  river  bed  without  recognizing  it.  Further 
more  the  topography  here  is  somewhat  deceiving  to  one  who  has  not  had 
opportunity  to  examine  it  carefully.  The  valley  comes  to  an  end  in  a 
canon  which  suddenly  grows  narrow  and  because  of  a  sudden  turn  in 
the  river  might  give  the  impression,  if  no  running  water  was  to  be  seen, 
that  it  was  only  a  side  canon  rather  than  the  outlet  to  the  valley.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  gentle  slope  of  the  valley  wall  on  the  south  with  a 
wide  lateral  valley  might  easily  lead  to  the  belief,  as  evidently  enter- 


—  17  — 

tained  by  Emory,  that  the  river  passed  through  between  these  hills  on 
the  south  side  of  the  valley.  When  also  it  is  remembered  that  the 
Americans  were  greatly  handicapped  while  making  their  way  across  the 
valley  floor,  since  the  mounted  Californians,  not  far  away,  were  prob 
ably  already  preparing  for  an  attack,  there  can  be  little  wonder  that 
Emory  did  not  succeed  in  determining  the  exact  course  of  the  river 
channel.  Later  from  the  summit  of  Battle  Mountain  these  points  could 
not  be  determined. 

Based  upon  the  exceedingly  valuable  map  of  Emory  and  the  informa 
tion  contained  in  the  numerous  other  contemporary  accounts  there  can 
be  but  little  doubt  but  that  the  sites  of  the  three  engagements  can  be 
located  with  all  the  accuracy  required  in  cavalry  battles  such  as  these 
were,  and  that  the  land  accepted  by  the  State  of  California  as  a  gift 
from  William  G.  Henshaw  and  Colonel  Ed  Fletcher  under  the  provisions 
of  the  Statutes  of  1919,  chapter  272,  is  the  true  site  of  the  battle  of 
December  6,  1846. 

SUGGESTED  MEMORIAL. 

Many  methods  have  been  suggested  as  suitable  means  of  marking  this 
battle  site.  Probably  the  best  is  that  prepared  by  Colonel  Ed  Fletcher, 
one  of  the  donors  of  the  site,  who  recommends  the  construction  of  a 
community  house  built  of  adobe  and  tile,  with  a  suitable  boulder  marked 
and  placed  in  a  good  location  in  front  of  the  building,  with  a  tablet 
calling  attention  to  the  event  commemorated.  An  inscription  either 
upon  the  boulder  or  on  the  walls  of  the  house  itself  should  give  the 
names  of  those  killed  and  wounded.  Action  of  this  character  on  the 
part  of  the  State  would  not  only  mark  the  spot  but  also  encourage  the 
local  people  to  care  for  the  surrounding  landmarks.  Assurance  has 
been  given  that  should  the  State  see  fit  to  make  a  small  appropriation 
toward  a  suitable  memorial,  the  remainder  would  be  raised  within  the 
county. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

HISTORICAL  SURVEY  COMMISSION. 
OWEN  C.  COY,  Director. 


—  18  — 


BIBLIOGRAPHY. 

PRINTED  MATERIALS. 

Bancroft,  H.  H.,  History  of  California.    New  York,  1912. 
Bonsai,  Stephen,  Edward  Fitzgerald  Beale.     San  Francisco,  1886. 
Cooke,  P.  St.  George,  Conquest  of  New  Mexico  and  California.     New 

York,  1878. 
Cutts,  James  M.,  Conquest  of  California  and  New  Mexico,    Philadelphia, 

1847. 

Dellenbaugh,  Frederick  S.,  Fremont  and  '19.    New  York,  1914. 
Emory,  William  H.,  Notes  of  a  Military  Reconnaissance.    Washington, 

1848. 

Hittell,  Theodore  H.,  History  of  California.    San  Francisco,  1898. 
Hughes,  John  T.,  Doniphan's  Expedition.    Cincinnati,  1847. 
Sabin,  Edwin  L.,  Kit  Carson  Days.0  Chicago,  1914. 

MANUSCRIPT  MATERIALS. 
Botello,  Narciso,  Anales. 
Cornick,  Homer  II.,  The  Battle  of  San  Pasqual. 

This  excellent  summary  of  the  events  of  the  battle,  made  under  the  supervi 
sion  of  the  Commission,  was  used  very  largely  as  the  basis  of  the  historical 
narrative. 

Coronel,  Antonio  F.,  Cosas  de  California. 

Forster,  John,  Pioneer  Data. 

Moreno,  Juan  B.,  Vida  Militar. 

Osio,  Antonio  M.,  Historia  de  California. 

Palomares,  Jose  F.,  Memoria. 

Vejar,  Pablo,  Recuerdos,  de  Un  Viejo. 


O 


9872    4-'*'\     2M 


•  &«*»«M 


°^<°  T*  w-o  ce. 


V**+ 


«*n*'*p:g2? 


-±44]  65 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


